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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com